Former India captain Sourav Ganguly's captaincy saw a number of future Indian stars make their debut or cement their positions in the Indian team. One of the most famous names to have made their debut at the time was MS Dhoni, who himself would later on establish himself as one of the most successful captains of all time.

Former Kolkata Knight Riders team director Joy Bhattacharya said that Dhoni had caught Ganguly's eye on his debut tour itself.